Toyota to stop Japan output next week on steel shortage
Xinhua, February 1, 2016 Adjust font size:
Japan's top automaker Toyota Motor Corporation announced Monday that it will suspend all its domestic vehicle production next week due to parts shortages following an explosion at a steel plant operated by its affiliate.
Toyota will suspend all production on its vehicle assembly lines within Japan from Feb. 8 through Feb. 13, said the carmaker in a release.
"Operations are scheduled to recommence on Feb. 15, and vehicle production on lines outside Japan will not be suspended," said Toyota.
It will be the first time that the Japanese carmaker stops all its domestic production since the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami broke its supply chain.
The blast occurred on Jan. 8 at an Aichi Steel Corporation manufacturing facility in central Japan, which crippled production of special steel parts.
"Toyota will continue to take any measures necessary to minimize the impact of this incident on vehicle production," said Toyota.
"Such measures may include production on alternate lines operated by Aichi Steel and procurement from other steelmakers," it said.
The world leading automaker usually produces about 14,000 cars per day in Japan. It produced 4 million vehicles in Japan in 2015, roughly 46 percent of which were exported.
A suspension in output might impact Toyota's target to produce 4.13 million vehicles in the country this year. Endit